BT global services gets new CEO

BT has appointed EDS executive Jeff Kelly to head its global services division. Kelly is replacing CEO Hanif Lalani who stepping down from his role and the board, leaving BT after 26 years with the carrier.

Lalani has held a number of positions in BT including CEO, BT Northern Ireland where he received an OBE for his services. He has been a BT Group Board member since 2005, initially as Group CFO and most recently as CEO global services.
 
BT CEO Ian Livingston, commended Lalani, who took on the role at a time of tumult, on stabilizing and turning around the business and delivering significantly improved financial results and world class customer service.
 
While global services had once been the carrier’s cash cow, it sparked a plunge in profits in the past 15 months since it revealed it had over-estimated the margins on some major global contracts.
 
Lalani was in the role for just 16 months, joining in October 2008, and was tasked with reigning in costs and rationalizing thousands of jobs.
 
On his new role Kelly said “my job is to build on those foundations and create a business that delivers value to BT’s shareholders as well as its customers. Globalization is here to stay and BT can help companies make the most of the opportunity it presents”.